PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio activists are urging elected officials to consider including Pike County in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) downwinder program. The program provides compensation to people who were exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons testing sites.
The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon has a long, troubled history. The plant was built in the 1940s to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, and it operated for 70 years. During that time, there were numerous accidents and leaks that released radioactive contaminants into the environment.
In 1994, the Portsmouth plant was designated as a Superfund site, meaning that it was one of the most contaminated sites in the United States. The plant was closed in 2001, but cleanup efforts are ongoing.
The activists’ call to action is one that should be considered by elected officials.
“The people of Piketon and other gaseous diffusion communities have been exposed to the same harmful radiation as those who lived downwind from nuclear weapons testing sites,” said Jason Salley, Media Relations spokesperson for the Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security (PRESS). “It is a gross injustice that they are not included in the RECA downwinder program.”
The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, multiple Department of Energy documents show, released radioactive contaminants into the environment through the air, water, and soil.
“We are urging our elected officials to support legislation to add all communities that had gaseous diffusion plants to the RECA downwinder program,” said Vina Colley (PRESS President). “This would provide much-needed support to the people of Piketon and other affected communities, and it would help to ensure that they are compensated for the harm that they have suffered.”
Activists also point to the fact that Pike County exhibits significantly higher cancer rates than the state average.
Josh Hawley, a Republican congressman from Missouri, has been leading the effort to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). He recently pushed for St. Louis to be added to the list of areas covered by the law. A proposed expansion of RECA recently passed the Senate 61-37, and its cosponsors, including Hawley, are pushing to include it in the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
